Passion Burns Deep
by Sasuke's hope
Summary: Hermione Granger finds herself in the worst situation ever. If she had known that she would be stuck with Malfoy, she never would have agreed to leave Harry's quest for Horcruxes and join the Order instead. This is Passion Burns Deep edited and revised
1. Chapter 1

Please note that I do not own these characters, and I do not claim to. I do not own the spells, places, or anything else related to the Harry Potter series. The only thing I own of this story is the plot and story line.

**"Someday you'll cry for me like I cried for you, someday you'll miss me like I missed you, someday you'll need me like I needed you. Someday you'll love me, but I won't love you."**

**PASSION BURNS DEEP**

She couldn't recall how she had come to be standing in the middle of a deserted corridor but somehow she knew what she was doing. Turning in the right direction, Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor common room alone. She planned to grab a book and settle beside the fire to read.

Draco was napping on the couch in front of the fire, so Hermione curled up in a chair and opened her book. The fire crackled warmly in the grate, sparks dancing around like a fireworks display. It didn't occur to her that Malfoy shouldn't be there in the Gryffindor tower with her.

"Having fun, my little bookworm?"

Hermione jumped up startled, she had forgotten that Malfoy was in the room. He had come up behind her chair and was reading over her shoulder; when she stood up, her book slide to the floor.

He bent down and picked up the fallen book.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said kindly.

She stepped forward to take her book from him.

"There's something I wanted to do this morning, but I didn't get the chance to".

"Oh, and pray tell what that might be".

She backed away from him as he took a few steps towards her. He laid the book on a table as he passed by it. Hermione's back hit the wall behind her and she realized there was nowhere to go. His face was inches from her own.

"Instead of telling you, I'll show you".

_'There's no backing out now,'_ she found herself thinking. "Yes, please do."

His lips came gently onto hers for the quickest second. He pulled back, waiting for her reaction. She grabbed his collar and pulled him back to her. This time he kissed harder.

She teased his mouth by nibbling on his lower lip. He wanted to scream when she wouldn't allow him full access into her mouth.

She pulled away, eyes shinning with excitement.

"Had enough?"

"Not until I have the whole thing".

She giggled and slid out from his grasp and ran playfully behind the couch, biting her lower lip.

"What do I get if I catch you?" He was enjoying himself immensely. She really was good at playing hard to get and her body was driving him insane.

"You get whatever you want," she ran her tongue over her lips, her mouth was so inviting.

With one arm he vaulted over the couch to land in front of her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Whatever I want?" he asked seducingly.

"Yes, Draco, anything".

"But first I have a favor to ask you".

"What?" she asked smiling.

He leaned forward whispering in her ear. "Keep calling me Draco. Malfoy seems so harsh".

In answer, she kissed him again, this time allowing him full access. He wrapped both arms around her. One was still around her waist, the other one on the back of her head.

She instinctively knew what to do with her own. With one hand she ran her fingers though his soft blonde hair. With the other hand she unbuttoned his shirt, running her fingers softly down his chest.

He was now at the mercy of her touch. He moaned for more. She ran her hand over one of his firm nipples, gently caressing it lightly.

That did the trick; he couldn't stand it anymore. He picked her up and she wrapped her long slender legs around his hips.

She arched her neck as his lips wondered downwards. He didn't stay in one place so as to not leave any unwanted bruises. She grabbed at his hair, never wanting to let go.

He put her on the couch and gently lay on top of her. He was pulling her shirt off, as she was unbuckling his belt. Every time her fingers brushed against him, shivers ran though his body. He had never experienced anything like this before.

"Wait, Draco," she finally gasped.

Hermione," he whispered urgently. "You're not going to make me stop are you?"

"No, of course not. We just can't do this here."

"Fine then, we won't".

He stood and picked her up again, cradling her insanely gorgeous body to him. As he ran his fingers down her, he couldn't help but notice that all her curves where in the right places. She shivered under his touch and moaned for him to hurry up.

He carried her up the stairs to her room and closed the door behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**"It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is more painful is to never have the courage to let that person know how you feel."**

-Unknown

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Two

As the door clicked shut behind the retreating backs, an annoying sound started wailing somewhere close by, faint at first, then growing louder as reality finally began to take its toll. Hermione awoke and rolled over on her side to turn the annoying alarm clock off. Not wanting to move from her comfortable position, she lay in bed thinking of the dream she had just awoken from.

_'Why in the world, did I dream something like that? I would never act like that, especially with Malfoy of all people! The very thought of us doing anything that didn't involve the pure hatred we have for each other and actually getting along instead, is appalling!'_

A shiver ran down her spine and she rubbed her arms disgustedly, as if trying to wipe the dream from her mind.

_'Now I feel dirty and unclean. That was absolutely revolting!'_

She stopped running her hands over her arms, realizing that no matter how hard she rubbed the memory would never go away.

Sighing, she got up off the bed and made her way to the door leading to the bathroom. _'Malfoy does have the looks to melt any girl's heart and I expect his body isn't too bad either. Too bad he's got the attitude of a stuck up little rich prat'._

Walking over to the shower, she turned the hot-water on allowing just enough cold to blend with the steaming stream of water that flowed from the shower-head.

_'Oh, wait. He is a stuck up little rich prat, minus the little part though obviously,'_ she quickly smacked herself around the face for thought and turned the water completely cold. _'Maybe a cold shower instead'._

She began stripping down out of her well fitting pajamas. The cloth pants were a baby light pink and her white, spaghetti-strap top had the words "Elves Rule" written boldly across the front.

'_It's a good thing that I'm the only one that knows what I dream. Maybe I should take up __Occlumency __just in case.'_

Laughing to herself, her thoughts soon turned to the events that would take place that day. She would be leaving her parents home and heading to the Weasley's right after breakfast. Once there she would be going with them to get Harry from his aunt and uncle's house. The only thing she could find wrong with the day was the fact that going to the Weasley's house meant that she would have to see Ron again. She wasn't so sure she was ready to face him.

After a quick shower, she dressed in a plain pair of short denim shorts that showed off her lean legs and a tight bright blue shirt that hugged her figure tightly; then went down stairs to see what her mom had fixed for breakfast. She entered the kitchen to find it completely deserted, her parents no where to be found.

A note hung on the fridge, explained their absence. The handwriting was sloppy and it looked like it had been written in a hurry.

Sweetie,

The office called and asked if we could fill in for the other two dentists who are on vacation this week. Your dad and I wanted to tell you that we love you and that we'll see you when we get home.

Love,

Mom and Dad

"That's nothing new," Hermione said out loud to the empty room.

_'It doesn't matter,_' she thought to herself._ 'They do this all the time. I shouldn't have expected them to be here. They probably didn't even remember that I was leaving today.' _She had lost count of the many times her parents had left, forgetting her. They had even forgotten her birthday two years ago. There was no doubt that her parents loved her more than anything, but they tended to become a little distracted on occasion.

Hermione grabbed a piece of cold toast and left her parents a note reminding them of where she had gone. She took a one last look at the homely kitchen and then turned in place and was gone with a small pop that sounded like a campaign bottle opening, reappearing in the Weasley's backyard. By now the sun had began to shin brightly and the heat already emitting from the rays proved it was going to be another hot summers day.

Ron, who had been in the kitchen helping clean up after breakfast, came out to greet her.

"Oy, good morning Hermione," he waved to her. "We just finished breakfast, but if you're hungry I'm sure I can find you something to eat".

She smiled at him and shook her head, "I ate before I left, but thanks for the offer, Ron".

Ever since the end of the school, Ron had become some-what nicer to Hermione. He now hesitated before saying anything to her, stopping to think about what he was going to say before he said something that might upset her. Hermione really didn't like the change that had come over her friend; she just wanted them to be able to talk to each other with out the awkward silences that seemed to pass over both of them.

She realized that he liked her and she knew that he was ashamed of the way he had used Lavender to try to make her jealous. But truth be told, she really didn't like Ron anymore. She had waited on him for a long time, and the incident with Lavender the previous school year only made her forget ever liking him.

Only, she didn't have the heart to tell him this. It bothered her when she seen him looking at her longingly out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to tell him that it was too late and that he should move on, but she was afraid that it would ruin their friendship.

"Are you coming in?" Ron asked her from the doorway.

"Oh," she said, her mind coming back to reality. "Yeah, I'm coming".

She followed him into the house, her mind turning back to her pervious thoughts.

'_I have to find some way to let him know that it's not going to work out. I can't go on this way making him think that there's a possibility that I might still like him. Things might have turned out differently if he had showed that he liked me before now. With the fight with Voldemort soon approaching and Harry going off to find the Horcruxes, things are just too difficult to have to worry about a relationship right now.'_

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said happily as Hermione walked into the kitchen. She was sitting at the table playing with what looked liked only something Fred and George could have made.

"Hello, Ginny" Hermione smiled at her friend. "What's that you got there?"

"The latest product of 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes'," she said proudly, holding up what looked like a regular pack of gum.

"A package of chewing gum?" Hermione inquired, knowing Fred and George it had to be something more.

"That's what it looks like, but of course it's not. One chomp of this stuff and you'll get an electric shock that'll keep you feeling it for two weeks. Comes in handy though when you need to break through an Imperturbable Charm," she laughed.

"Wow! That must be powerful if it can break through magic like that," she was impressed at how much Fred and George had advanced with their magic skills.

At school, they had just been a bunch of goof-offs who got in trouble and never did anything productive. But now Hermione was beginning to realize just how skilled they really were.

"Yes, it is, but that's not what it's advertised for. It's supposed to be used on your enemies. Disarming the Imperturbable Charm is just a lucky side-effect; we didn't even know it could do that until Fred brought one to Grimmuald Pace and it about blew the kitchen door off the hinges. Good thing it was only Fred, George, and me that seen it happen. Mom would have had a cow if see knew that we broke the Charm".

"Well I suppose the Order's secret meetings aren't so secret now that the extendable ears can get under the door".

"After finding out what they could do, Fred and George set to work improving the product so that now, the disarming is undetectable, allowing the user to be able to get by the Charm unnoticed".

"Brilliant!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Fred and George joined the Order a couple of days ago, but they were forbidden to tell anyone anything they hear at the meetings. That being the case, they have so graciously given each of us a pair of extendable ears, free of charge," she took a pair out of her pocket and handed them over to Hermione.

"Thanks," Hermione took the ears from her, "these may come in handy".

"They have decided not to sell the ears or the gum, instead keeping them of their own benefits".

"That's a relief. Could you imagine if something like that got into the hands of a Death Eater? We'd have no peace at all".

At that moment Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen, Ginny and Hermione hurriedly stowed the items out of sight.

"Come on you three," she said ushering Ron and the two girls out the back door, "It's time to get Harry. I don't want to leave him with those Muggles any longer; the poor dear must be excited to finally leave that awful house".


	3. Chapter 3

"**It hurts so much to love you the way I do and then look at you and realize how much you don't care"**

- Unknown

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Three

Hermione walked out into the yard and was surprised to see how many people that were going with them as guard. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill; even Fleur was coming along.

'_She's probably curious to see what kind of people the Dursley's are like,'_ Hermione thought.

"Alright everyone, our destination is number 4 Privet Drive," Mr. Weasley said happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement.

Ron, who had finally passed his apparition test, smiled nervously and Ginny took hold of her mother's arm. With that, all of them turned and disappeared.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked around, blinking in the bright sun after having her eyes closed tightly. She had never been to Privet Drive before, but she had heard enough from Harry to immediately know that she was in the right place.

The whole street looked like something out of a movie. Every lawn was cut, the grass a healthy green and every hedge was trimmed to the perfect shape. Each home seemed to be competing against its neighbor for perfection; white siding with hunter green shudders and shingles to match.

The house closest to Hermione seemed to be no different from all the others. On the outside anyway, but Hermione knew that the occupants of the house were nothing like the other people in the neighborhood. No matter how hard they tried, the Dursley's would never be like everyone else.

"Well," Mr. Weasley said, there was a hint of nervousness in his voice, "shall we go greet the muggles?"

They all nodded in answer. Mr. Weasley squared his shoulders, looked around once more and took the lead as the group followed him around the house, not knowing what to expect once they rounded the corner.

Harry Potter, dark, fly-away hair and the brightest green eyes ever, was standing on the front lawn with his trunk and other belongings sitting beside him. It seemed that he had grown a couple more inches since the last time Hermione had seen him, which surprisingly had been only a little over a week now. Hermione had to admit it though, Ginny did have good taste, but Harry was like a brother to her and she couldn't imagine things being any other way. In fact, she was absolutely jubilant about Ginny and Harry being together.

When Hermione saw him, she immediately ran to him and hugged him around the neck.

"It's nice to see you, too, Hermione," Harry managed to gasp, "but I can't breathe. The fate of the world lies in my hands right now, so you can't suffocate me just yet!"

Hermione quickly let go of him and stepped back. "Sorry," she said quietly.

Her eyes moved from Harry to Ron. She was shocked to see that there was pain in his eyes. Loneliness and desire, Hermione hoped that it had nothing to do with her.

She sighed sadly. _'I really need to tell him that things wouldn't work out between us,' _she thought.

Hermione watched as Ron greeted his best friend. Her stomach turned over with guilt as she watched the two boys talking together. Then she realized that Mr. Weasley was speaking into the awkward silence that had fallen over the wizarding group and the Dursley's.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again," he nodded to the Dursley's. "We'll take care of Harry now, so there's no need to worry".

"Like they would," Harry muttered. Then more loudly he said, "Good-bye".

They all turned and walked back around the corner of the house. Leaving quickly had been part of the plan, it kept the chances of them being noticed down a little. Plus, none of them wanted to stay in company with the Dursley's for long.

Hermione watched amusingly as Harry and Ginny glanced at each other shyly then turned their gazes away quickly.

"Did you see that?" she asked Ron, who was walking slightly behind her. He just raised his eyebrow at her.

"I think the two of them just had a moment," she said straight faced.

Ron began to snigger and Hermione giggled. Catching her off guard, he seized his chance and put his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"You know," he said boldly, "we could have moments, too. Maybe even hours, when the time comes that is".

Feeling uncomfortable, she quickly stepped away from him and turned on the spot, disappearing before he could say anything else.


	4. Chapter 4

"**I used to love you, but things change and people grow up realizing how stupid they were at the moment."**

-Stephanie White

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Four

She landed in the Weasley's backyard, her face burning red from embarrassment. Seconds later Ron appeared a few feet away from her, a bewildered look on his face.

"Why did you leave like that?"

Before she could answer, the rest of the group appeared, saving her the task of replying.

Ginny, who had been smiling mischievously, glanced from Ron to Hermione, the space between them, then back to Hermione. Hermione just shook her head, signaling that she would explain everything later.

They all moved into the house chatting about their summer vacation so far, Fleur and Bill bringing up the rear with Harry's luggage and bird cage. Hermione moved into the sitting room, determined to put as much space as she could between her and Ron.

'_Maybe he'll get the hint,'_ she thought desperately. _'Yeah right! What am I thinking; this is Ron we're talking about here. He couldn't catch it even if it was handed to him'._

She remained setting on the sofa for a long time, arguing with herself and trying to come up with the best way to tell Ron that she didn't like him anymore without him getting mad and not speaking to her for a long time.

She was oblivious to everything going on around her as she sat there trying to think. Harry and Ron had come into the room and sat down opposite her and began chatting together, catching up with everything that was going on; Harry telling them how Petunia had been acting weird lately and Ron relaying events that had been happening at the Ministry.

There was more and more deaths everyday and important members of the Ministry were beginning to disappear. Percy, it seemed, was off somewhere doing some 'important' Ministry work and hadn't been heard from since his visit at Christmas time.

"If you ask me, I don't think Scrimgeour gives a damn about people dieing and others going missing," Ron said at last.

"Oh, course he doesn't," Harry snarled. "All he cares about is that he keeps his job and that he looks like he's trying to do something to help, when in reality he's just sitting in his office laughing at the work he doesn't have to do!"

Hermione, still lost in thought wasn't paying any attention to what the boys were talking about. It was almost lunch time and she was beginning to get hungry due to the light breakfast she had.

"What do you think about all of this, Hermione?"

She looked up to find Harry staring at her anxiously, clearly expecting her to have a perfectly good explanation to the whole thing, as usual.

"Well… I… er…," she stuttered. "Actually, I wasn't listening to what you were saying".

Harry opened his mouth to repeat the question, but quickly shut it. There was a flash of light and a few sparks fell though the air to land on the floor, where they went out automatically. In their place was a single blood red phoenix feather.

Bill, who had been walking by the doorway, stopped and stared at the feather in amazement.

"Mum! Dad!" he suddenly yelled. "Come in here, quickly!"

Noting the urgency in their son's voice, they hurried into the room, Ginny right behind them. With one look at the feather, Mrs. Weasley sat down out of breath.

Mr. Weasley began to explain the odd occurrence in a hurried voice. "That feather means that an urgent meeting for the Order has been called. This means that we will all be staying at Grimmuald Place for a few days at the least. Please go pack and meet back here in five minutes".

There was a rustle and shuffle of feet as everyone left the room in a hurry. Hermione sat back with a sigh; she hadn't brought her stuff with her. Harry walked over to the sofa and sat down beside her, his belongings still packed and sitting where Bill and Fleur had left them.

"So," said Harry looking sideways at her, "um… How was your break?"

Looking straight ahead she replied, "It was good, I guess. I had some time to hang out with my muggle friends and I got caught up on my reading".

"That's great!" he exclaimed.

A silence fell between them. Finally, he decided to take a stab at it and voice his thoughts.

"Hermione," he said firmly, "what's going on with you and Ron?"

When she didn't answer, he continued. "Hermione, you know Ron's my best mate and that we practically tell each other everything. All he ever talks about now is you. It gets quite annoying someti…"

But Hermione quickly cut him off, anger evident in her voice, "So, he talks about me behind my back, does he!"

"Hermione it's…"

"What does he say? That I'm desperate and easy to get?"

"Actually, he…"

"I can see it now! Him setting there, rambling on about how he bets that Lavender is a better kisser than me and how much prettier she is!"

"You got it…"

"Yes, see you admit it. I bet he gets a real kick out of how he demolished my heart. He probably laughs about the little fantasies he has about how to get a good snog out of me just to prove his point about Lavender!"

Hermione was now on her feet and madder than Harry had ever seen her before.

As she paused for breathe, he took his chance. "Hermione, you know that's not true. Ron may be a stupid git, but he would never be stupid enough to say something like that".

He stood up and put his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but she quickly knocked it off.

"Well, I wouldn't believe that after what he tried earlier". She knew what Harry was really trying to say to her and she knew perfectly well what Ron really thought about her but she hoped that if she acted this way toward Harry, he would tell Ron to back off and leave her alone for a little while. She didn't mind acting like a git if it meant buying her some time so she wouldn't have to face Ron with the truth just yet.

She spun around, away from Harry and walked towards the fireplace. Without looking back she managed to say through clenched teeth, "Tell the others that I have went ahead and that I'll meet them at Headquarters".

Without another word, she stepped over the grate and disappeared in a flash of flames.


	5. Chapter 5

**Quote: "I try to help you as much as I can; what more do you possibly want from me?"**

-Stephanie White

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Five

Grimmuald Place looked the same as ever. The kitchen was dusty and the table in the middle of the room still had the burn mark on it, courtesy of Fred and George themselves. But as Hermione looked around, she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. Without Sirius being there, the house seemed empty and lost of its old cheer. Sure Sirius had hated staying in that place, but he always tried his best to make everyone feel at home. Without Sirius, the house seemed dead.

"Ah, we've been expecting you, Hermione," as cheery voice came from the doorway. Hermione, who had been lost on her thoughts once again, jumped at the sound and looked quickly around. Tonks was leaning against the door frame watching her.

"Tonks!" Hermione exclaimed. "You scared me. How are you doing? Everything going fine with you and Professor Lupin?"

"Sorry to startle you. I'm doing well and Remus is getting along fairly, too; he just came back from visiting that gang of werewolves again, the poor man. Those vile creatures will kill us all if we're not careful".

"Is that why an urgent meeting has been called?" she asked her friend curiously. "Did Professor Lupin bring back important information about their plans?"

"No, sadly he didn't," she said. "But I expect you'll soon see why McGonagall called this meeting".

Surprised by what Tonks had just said, Hermione asked, "You mean they're actually going to let us sit in during the meeting!"

"Well," Tonks whispered, coming closer to Hermione, "Just between you and me, I heard McGonagall telling a few Order members that she was going to allow you, Harry and Ron to join if you wish to. I think the other DA members are going to be offered to join too if their parents agree".

"Wow! What made her decide on that?"

"I'm not for sure, but I think I heard something about having special jobs for all of you. She said that she knew Dumbledore had wanted all of you to join. I didn't hear all of it though".

"Wow!" Hermione said again.

When Dumbledore died, McGonagall not only took up position as Headmistress, but also was now acting as head of the Order.

The Order itself had taken some drastic changes. They now wore black robes with a red phoenix on the back of them to meetings, representing their fallen leader. They had more meetings and every thing was kept top secret. Harry wasn't even allowed to know what was going on; but he figured that this had to do with the fact that he still refused to tell McGonagall where they had went the night that Dumbledore had been murdered.

"But let's just keep that between us. Everyone else should have been here by now. Were they coming right after you?" Tonks stared worriedly at the fireplace.

"Oh, I left before all of them. They were still packing when I left; I suppose we'll be staying here for a little while. I'll have to go get my things from home sometime later".

"I'll go with you when you go. I love seeing how muggles live without magic, they're so amazing".

Hermione laughed and looked around the empty room.

"Is this where they're having the meeting?"

Tonks followed her gaze, "No, everyone else is up in the drawing room. Quite a turn out we have, too. I believe every member of the Order is here today, I've never even met most of them. McGonagall just sent me down here to wait on you and the others".

"Well," Hermione said, her gaze resting on the fireplace, "we won't have to wait any longer. I believe that's them now".

A cloud of soot rose into the room and Harry appeared. Looking at Hermione cautiously, he was pleased to see that she was in higher spirits now and that she had calmed down.

"Hey, Tonks," he said. "Nice to see you again".

"Same here" she replied. "I see you look as skinny as ever. Don't worry though; the Weasley's won't let you go hungry.

Harry laughed and turned around to face Hermione. She gave him an encouraging smile to show him that she wasn't mad anymore.

They were soon joined by the Weasley's and all of their luggage.

"Come on you lot," Tonks said above the noise. "We must hurry; everyone is waiting on us to begin the meeting. Just leave your stuff here and you can get it later. Neville and Luna are already here".

Surprised looks passed over everyone's faces. Before anyone could say a word, Tonks rushed them out the door.

"Everything will be explained in a few minutes".


	6. Chapter 6

"**I'm afraid to ask in fear of being beat down and hated for the love I wish to share with you".**

-Stephanie White

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Six

They all followed her out of the room and up the stairs of Grimmuald Place. Hermione was very pleased to see that Sirius' mother's picture had finally been removed from the wall. How they managed to get it off, she would never know. They reached the drawing room door and paused before it, Tonks with her hand on the door knob.

She looked at them all, pride written across her face. All she could say was, "Please don't get too excited".

With that, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, ushering them all through the doorway. Hermione followed Harry though the door and gasped when she saw the room in front of her.

As Harry and the others entered the room, everyone stood up cheering and clapping. The noise was deafening and Hermione was sure that most of them would be hoarse by the time they stopped their merriment.

Harry, who by now had learned to ignore all the attention, looked around at his friends. Ron's face was red, Hermione held her head high, and Neville looked like he thought it was a mistake that him of all people to be there. Luna on the other hand just looked around in apparent boredom, the crowd not affecting her at all.

Hermione noticed a smile creep across Harry's face as he watched Luna.

'_She would be the perfect person to take along on a mission. She's smart and she can keep her cool in most situations._' Hermione thought.

There had to be over a hundred people, at least, in the room, all of them wearing black robes with the phoenix on the back. It was so crowed the floor below them all could barely be seen. Some of the older ones were sitting comfortably in chairs, while the younger, livelier ones, stood.

Hermione had never met half of them, but many of them she recognized right off; if not from meeting them before, she had heard them mentioned by other Order members.

"Ah, it's about time you all decided to join us!" McGonagall stated briskly as usual.

"Sorry about that Minerva," Mr. Weasley muttered.

Turning to address the crowd of people, McGonagall got the meeting under way. "Now that everyone is here, we can now begin".

There was a murmur from the assembly, and she continued, "Before we get to the main reason I called for this meeting, we have something else to attend to. There are six very brave people here today; they call themselves the D.A., in honor of their late Headmaster. I'm sure that all of you have heard of them and their feats at the Ministry a year ago, as well as the help they provided the Order with in late June".

More cheers came from the crowd, with an odd "Here, here" or "Very brave, indeed" every now and then.

"Yes," McGonagall said as the noise died down, "for this reason and many others, I have decided that, even though they have not completed all their years of training at Hogwarts, they will be allowed to join the Order along with all of you if that's what they choose. They have proved many times over that they are more skilled than many of us, and I believe they will, in the end, be the ones that help in the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord once and for all".

Silence passed over the congregation as her words settled into everyone's minds. Hermione looked around at Harry and the others. They all seemed shocked; even Luna, who had arrived at Headquarters with Neville a little while ago, seemed to be paying attention to what McGonagall was saying. Hermione, who already knew, wasn't shocked at all.

McGonagall led them to the center of the room, where they stood there waiting for her to speak again.

"Occasionally, when we have new members joining the Order, we ask them to make an Unbreakable Vow. In this vow, they state their loyalty to the Order and their will to do anything possible to help defeat Voldemort. They pledge that they never, to their best abilities, do anything that may harm the Order in any way and follow any orders given to them by the leader".

'_Well,'_ Hermione thought, _'it should be obvious that all of us are loyal to the Order. Will we have to take the Vow as well?' _

As if she knew what she was thinking, McGonagall continued, "This Vow is only taken by the members that are considered hazardous. In other words, the members that are not fully trusted".

"Does that mean we have to take the Vow," Hermione nervously voiced her thoughts.

"Well considering the incident at the Ministry, no you do not have to take it. Your actions have proved that you all are loyal to the Order and would risk your lives to see the defeat of Voldemort".

It didn't matter to Hermione whether she made the Vow or not. She knew that either way she would never betray the Order like Snape had.

"All you have to do is sign this book".

McGonagall waved her wand and a book appeared in her hand. The cover was blood red with gold writing and the binding had neon green lettering.

Hermione tried to read the name of the book, but it was in an ancient language that she didn't recognize.

"The purpose of signing the book is so that we can keep track of you. Think of it like Molly's clock and the parchment that Miss Granger here had everyone to sign at the first meeting of the D.A."

Hermione stared at McGonagall in wonderment. She was surprised that someone so experienced in magic would use the concept of one of her ideas.

"Once you sign your name in the book, we can tell if you're in danger or need help. We can't tell your exact position sadly, but we can at least keep track of you. Plus, keep in mind that once you sign this book, it is up to you to remain loyal to the Order. I will not speak of the dire consequences of betrayal. After signing, you are bound to the Order".

Hermione didn't like the idea of being kept track of all the time. '_But,_' she thought to herself, _'it's probably just to see if we're in danger. There's no way they could know where we are at during all times'_. She would later find out that as usual, she was completely right.

"It's just to ensure that we don't have another Snape incident. We definitely do not want that to happen again".

A grim smile crept across Hermione's face. _'Well that won't matter once Harry gets a hold of him'._

"Now each of you sign the book and that's all there is to it," McGonagall concluded happily.

She held out a quill for Hermione to sign first. She took it and signed the book, not really paying attention to what she was doing. She had noticed that Fred and George's names were above hers. It surprised her that they would agree to sign the book; they always had to make things difficult.

Hermione stepped away from the book and handed Ron the quill. After everyone had signed, McGonagall waved her wand and the book disappeared.

"Remus, the robes please".

Lupin stepped forward and handed every one a pair of robes.

"You will wear these only to meetings, and when you are otherwise instructed to. Do not wear them anywhere else because it becomes obvious that you're part of the Order, and with Death Eaters swarming around everywhere, they could easily kill you," Remus told them. "You're our secret weapons, the Death Eaters don't know that you are now part of the Order".

"Now that we have that taken care of, we can move on to something that could determine the fate of the Wizarding World. But first I'm going to ask that all of you; especially you, Harry; to keep your anger in check and don't do anything rash," McGonagall's face was serious.

Harry stared stupidly at her. "I believe I can control my own anger, Professor," Harry finally said.

"Well, just in case, you won't mind if Remus stands near you. I'm sure you'll understand why in a few minutes".


	7. Chapter 7

"**The trouble you're in, the pain you're going through. No matter what, I'll be here by your side".**

-Stephanie White

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Seven

Harry looked shocked, but none the less, he didn't say anything as his old teacher stepped around and stood beside him. Hermione couldn't possibly come up with an explanation for McGonagall's weird behavior. Whatever was going on, it was evidently something very serious.

Making sure Remus was in a good spot, McGonagall yelled into the other room, "Moody, bring in the prisoner!"

Mad-eye came into the room, levitating a young man behind him.

'_So that's why!'_ Hermione thought, looking over at Harry. A noise escaped from his throat; it was the sound of an angered animal, his fist clenched tightly into a ball. Even so, he stood were he was, not making any movement at all, watching the still form like a hawk over it's pray.

The boy's skin was pale and peeked, looking as if he had not had a good meal for some time now. Shaggy blonde hair hung around his face, only long enough to hang in his eyes; which were closed as if he were sleeping peacefully

Moody lowered the body to the floor in front of Hermione. She couldn't help but notice that Malfoy looked different somehow, he didn't look so snobbish when he was asleep and it seemed like he had grew a few inches since she last saw him. However, there was no mistaking that this was none other than the infamous Draco Malfoy himself.

"Where did you find him at," Harry snarled out between clenched teeth.

Looking at Harry cautiously, McGonagall answered, "We have had several members keeping watch on the Malfoy Manor ever since the boy had disappeared. He was caught returning to his home last night under the cover of darkness".

"What are you going to do with him, Professor?" Hermione felt like slapping herself as she noticed that the way she had said it seemed as if she cared.

"We are going to find out what he knows".

"All you have to do is threaten the piece of filth with his life and he'll spill his guts," growled Moody.

Hermione flinched at his words. Why, she wondered, was she acting this way? Suddenly she remembered the dream she had had and shivered even more. _'What's wrong with me?'_

"Alastar! We are not like them. We do not jump to brutal force without first giving the person a chance!" McGonagall was shocked to here the Auror say that.

"It always worked for me," he muttered to her back.

"Moving on," she continued pretending not to hear him, "we will be using the truth potion instead".

"I suppose that works, he's been this way the whole time, so he has no way of fooling the truth potion". Moody's eye was spinning around with excitement.

A wizard Hermione didn't recognize with short brown hair and silver eyes stepped over to the stiff body and forced his mouth open, pouring pure liquid out of a vile in.

They waited for the potion to start working then McGonagall removed the silencing charm on him and allowed only his lips to move. She leaned over him, speaking clearly. "Are you Draco Malfoy, son of the Death Eater; Lucius Malfoy?"

Malfoy groggily replied, "I'm not proud of it, but yes I am".

"Where is your father and the other Death Eaters?"

"I don't know anything about the others, but my father is dead," he sounded proud to be able to say this.

There was a gasp from everyone in the room.

'_But how,'_ Hermione began to wonder.

"Would you please explain to me how and when this happened," it was more of a command than a request.

"I always hated him. He never treated me or my mother right, always pushing us around and forcing us to accept the ways of the Dark Lord. I was finally pushed over the edge. Two nights ago he and my mother were arguing about some new instructions the Dark Lord had given him. I woke up to my mother screaming at him and telling him that she would not allow such a thing to happen and my father was arguing back with her saying that they didn't have a choice and that he would be killed otherwise. By the time I got down stairs he had started shaking her and slapping her across the face trying to calm her down. I couldn't bear to see my mother being treated as such yet again and I lost it. All the anger I have ever felt toward my father came surging out of me through my wand and the next thing I knew he was lying on the floor at my feet completely lifeless".

Shock fell over the assembly as they all stared dumbstruck at the boy.

Surprised, McGonagall lost her usual composure. "You mean to tell me that you killed him yourself!"

He nodded happily. "I was tired of ordering me around like I was his own personal slave. Just last week he was ordered me to do something that I absolutely refused to do".

"What was the order?" Moody growled.

"He told me that I had to capture the young Weasel girl and bring her to the Dark Lord".

"But you hate the Weasley's. Why would you get mad over something like her capture?" It was Lupin who spoke this time.

"Yes, I do hate them, but that's not the point. I told myself along time ago that I would never do anything just so my father could get on the Dark Lord's good side. I despise the way he clings to him like a pet. It's disgraceful and I wanted nothing to do with it. When I told him that I wouldn't do it, he got furious and tried to kill me, he was already mad that I didn't kill Dumbledore. We argued, and finally I lost my temper. I stayed locked in my room for several days after that and didn't come to eat or anything until the night I heard my mother screaming".

"Why did you join the Death Eaters and later help them into the castle that night?" Lupin was still talking. Apparently McGonagall had lost her voice all together.

"I was forced to do it. He told me that if I didn't, he would kill my mother, the only person that ever really cared for me. But in the end I was too weak. Potter even caught me crying one day at school; I don't remember anything after that, until I woke up in the hospital wing. But I still had a mission to fulfill and there was no backing down," his voice was shaking.

"What about Dumbledore? Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?" Lupin was finding all of this very interesting.

"The night I let the Death Eaters into the school, was the night I realized that my father had no more control over me and I could always run from the Dark Lord".

He paused as recent memories came flowing back to him, then continued wearily.

"I wasn't going to kill Dumbledore that was never my intention. It shocked me when he told me that he knew it was me who was trying to kill him all year. Yet, even though he knew it was me, he didn't do anything about it because he knew the trouble that I would be in if I was caught. Towards the end of the year, I practically gave up trying to hide my attempts. I was hoping he would realize it was me and put a stop to it. I never wanted to be like my father".

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. For as long as she knew Malfoy, she could only remember the arrogant, snotty, prat; who _was_ so much like his father. Now, after hearing this, she began to wonder what really drove a person to become a Death Eater.

"What about Snape?" It was Moody's turn to speak again.

"The stupid git! He kept getting in my way. Acting as if he were trying to help me, when in fact I knew he was only helping me because of a stupid oath he made with my mother!"

"An Unbreakable Vow?" This was apparently big news for everyone.

"After my father was sent to Azkaban, the Dark Lord forced me into his ranks, threatening to kill me and my mother. When he ordered me to kill Dumbledore, my mother feared for my life. She cared nothing of herself; she only wanted me to stay safe. Snape made a Vow with my mother stating that he would protect me to his best abilities and help me with my task".

It was then that Hermione realized that Snape had killed Dumbledore to save his own skin. Being bond by a Vow meant that he either carry out the oath or die at failed attempt. If possible, this made Hermione hate Snape even more.

Malfoy's eyelids began to sag, all his energy seemingly gone.

"Where did you and Snape go the night you fled from the castle?"

"We ran for our lives. He said that I must get far away from the Dark Lord because if I was caught, I would surely be killed for not completing my task. We stopped at an inn somewhere in the mountains. It was there we received word that my father had escaped from Azkaban. That night while Snape was asleep, I left and returned to my house, hoping that my mother was ok and that father hadn't done anything rash in his delirious state of mind".

His head began to fall forward. The past weeks journey finally catching up with him.

"That will be all for now, Alastor. Lock him in one of the bedrooms and put a charm on his door so that he may not hear anything. Make sure that he can't escape," McGonagall whispered.

Before he finally fell asleep, Malfoy muttered, "I wouldn't try to escape from here. I'm safe here".

Hermione's head was pounding with all the excitement of the day. She couldn't believe what Malfoy had just told them. Yet he had taken Veritaserum and everything he had said was the truth.

"I think that will be enough for our meeting today. Let's all go home and think everything over. We'll have another meeting tomorrow and we will discuss everything then," McGonagall concluded in a tired voice.


	8. Chapter 8

**"Love me or hate me, either way I'm on your mind."**

-Unknown

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Eight

Hermione and the rest of the gang waited until everyone else had filed out of them room, leaving them to talk amongst themselves and out of ear-shot of anyone else. It was times like these were the real problem solving took place. Fred and George remained seated, looking around expectantly, knowing a big discussion was about to take place.

"Wow," Harry said, sinking down into one of the deserted faded maroon arm chairs. He placed his head on the palms of his hands wearily, all of his energy suddenly gone.

"All these years and we never had any clue what was really going on," Hermione whispered, taking the chair beside him. "I mean, the way he always went on about his father, you would never think he hated him so much".

Ginny, who had taken the seat on the other side of Harry, voiced her thoughts, "It just goes to show you how much a person can really fear someone. All those years of being forced to follow in his father's footsteps".

Luna, who had been staring curiously about the room, suddenly said, "I didn't ever think he was as mean and cruel as you guys always said he was. He helped me pick up my books one time".

"You must be permanently delirious," Fred said seriously.

"I believe we have something to cure that," George quickly started to search his coat pockets. "We haven't tested the side effects yet, but I'm sure nothing serious could happen".

"It's alright, Luna, just ignore them," Ron told her comfortingly.

Luna gave Ron a weirder than normal look, as if she had never noticed him before and then continued, "It was getting close to curfew and I was on my way back from the library. An older boy came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder; he tried to get me to "help" him with something in one of the empty classrooms. I refused to go with him and I started to struggle to get away, so he hit me causing me to drop my books".

Ginny gasped and Hermione shushed her, wanting Luna to continue with her story.

"We were the only people in the corridor so when footsteps started to come closer he boy ran for it thinking it was a teacher coming. As I bent down to pick up my fallen books, Draco came around the corner into sight. Seeing me picking up my books, he quickly stopped and picked up a couple books and handed them to me. Then he left without saying anything".

Scratching her head in bewilderment, Hermione said, "That's very strange and not logical at all".

"He was probably on his way back from the Room of Requirement, the slimy git". Harry growled.

"Or maybe he just has a soft spot for girls," Ginny sniggered.

This caused everyone but Luna and Hermione to laugh uproariously, even Harry couldn't help but smile.

"What do you think they'll do with him?" Hermione couldn't help but wonder.

"Hopefully they'll throw him in Azkaban or maybe they'll just kill him," Harry said sourly. "I guess I mustn't get my hopes up though".

"He just took the truth potion and practically spilled his guts out to all of us!"

"I still don't trust him, Ginny. Something just seems to be wrong with the whole situation".

"Are you deaf or something?" she snapped. "Lucius would have killed him long before any of the Order could have stepped in and saved his life. I don't blame him at all for killing his father! After what I just heard from him about that man, I think he had every right to kill him!"

Before Harry could say anything back, Hermione quickly cut in. "I think it's about time we all got some sleep. It's been a long day for all of us and we all need time to clear our minds".

Muttering their agreement, everyone stood up and left the room, heading for their respective rooms; Luna and Neville had decided to say at Headquarters along with everyone else. Harry was sharing a room with Ron and Neville, while the girls shared a different room.

Ron fell back to walk with Hermione as they made their way through the ancient house.

"What was up with you earlier, Hermione?" he asked suddenly.

There was a pause as Hermione gathered her thoughts. Finally she decided that now was the time to have this discussion before things became worse. "Ron, how do you really feel about me?" she asked him quietly.

Ron looked dumbstruck for a second and then answered smartly, "Well I thought someone as smart as you would have figured that out by now, Hermione".

He took a step closer to her and remembering what had happened earlier, she quickly stepped back away from him.

"Well, um… Ron… I…"

"Oh, come on, Hermione. You know I want you and I know you want me the same," Ron took a few more steps towards her; backing her into a corner in doing so.

Taking a deep breathe to settle her nerves, she bravely stood her ground. "Ron, I don't like you that way anymore. I used to have feelings for you but I'm afraid that you messed that up when you started using Lavender. How am I supposed to know if you won't just do the same to me; use me then throw me away when you are tired of being with me?"

A huge smile crossed Ron's face as he looked at her. "You know that's perfectly not true. Just because Krum treated you that way, doesn't mean that all guys will".

"Victor did absolutely nothing to me!"

"Come off it Hermione. I would never do something like that to you. The only reason I did all that stuff with Lavender was to get you to notice me. I did it all for you".

"If you'll do it for me, you'll do it to me," Hermione snapped.

Hermione's back was now against one of the hallway walls and Ron was inches from her.

"That's not the way to get a girl at all and in your case it caused you to lose my love for you. So in the long run it's your own fault you can't make up your mind on what you really want. There's a name for people like you, Ron and it's…"

SMACK!

The sound rang through the hallway. Hermione's hand flew to her face where a stinging hand print had been left from the force Ron had hit her with.

"Do not ever say that again, Hermione. I love you very deeply, I always have and I always will. Let me prove that to you".

Hermione couldn't do anything to get away as his lips came crashing down on hers. She fought to get away, trying to shove him off of her, but he just grabbed a hold of her wrists to keep her from struggling. He was leaned up against her so closely that she couldn't even move her legs to kick him.

He deepened the kiss, biting her lip to gain entrance into her mouth. Grabbing both her wrists painfully with one hand, he let his other wonder down her side where he found the hem of her light blue shirt. He ran his hand up her shirt, running his fingers lightly over her flat stomach.

Hermione couldn't let this go any further, thinking quickly, she bit down on his tongue with all her might, tasting the iron of his blood.

"OWWW!" he yelled, quickly stepping away from her. She slapped him with all her might and then quickly turned to run down the hallway.


	9. Chapter 9

**"You never know how much you truly love someone until you've lost them."**

-Unknown

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Nine

Portrait faces blended together in a blur of color as Hermione ran away from the stunned boy, who was left standing where she had left him, shock written across his rough features. Unshed tears stung the corners of her eyes, making it nearly impossible to see straight. She didn't know where she was running to, but anywhere was better than being back in the hallway with Ron.

She turned a corner and ran head first into something solid. There was a sharp intake of breath and a muffled "Oh," could be heard. Not thinking clearly, Hermione quickly started swinging her hands, fighting to get away, fearing that it was Ron she had somehow managed to run into.

"Hermione, stop," a surprised voice came from somewhere above her head. "Stop, it's me, Remus!"

Recognizing his voice, Hermione stopped fighting and slowly, as if doubting what she was hearing, she looked up into his aging face. His dull brown eyes seemed lost, his face set off by a square jaw, and his now almost completely grey hair. His night time strolls had really began to take effect on him and it seemed that he was aging faster than normal for a man as young as himself. Despite all this, the site of a friendly face caused Hermione's knees to quiver. Losing all energy after the struggle, Hermione slid down the wall to sit on the cold floor.

"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

She didn't answer him, she couldn't answer him. The truth was she didn't know if she was okay. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

"What has happened to scare you so badly?" Lupin asked hurriedly.

Hermione really didn't feel like telling anyone right now what had just happened to her. She felt violated and scared that Ron would try to hurt her again if she told anyone what had just happened.

Taking a slow, deep breath, she managed to hold back the feeling of nausea and said, "I'm fine now Professor Lupin. I think I was having a nightmare and you must have woken me up".

"Hermione I heard someone yelling and it sounded like a guy's voice. Are you sure that you're feeling well? You're shacking".

"I'm fine now Professor," Hermione said again.

He looked at her as if he knew she was lying, his eyes burning into hers as if trying to read the untold truth. She looked away quickly.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what has happened," he bent down to her level, still looking at her intently.

Hermione remained silent, embarrassed by the whole situation, not looking him in the eye.

"Well, if you're sure". He stood up and offered her a hand to help her up. "I was just on my way to see you as a matter of fact".

"Me?" Hermione asked a little confused, thinking she had heard wrong.

"Yes, you. Professor McGonagall wishes to speak with you as quickly as possible," he began helping her down the hallway, thankfully in the opposite direction of where Ron had been.

"But why me? Shouldn't she be talking to Harry or someone else that's important? What does she want with me?"

"You are important Hermione. But I suppose you'll find that out for yourself shortly".

They had reached a huge heavy looking door that looked as if it was guarding something very important. There were many locks along the side of the door, all of them at the moment unlocked and places that looked as if you needed a wand to get by them.

Pushing open the door, Lupin stood back to let Hermione walk into the dimly lit room beyond. There wasn't a doubt in Hermione's mind that this was the master bedroom of the house. Heavy black silk curtains covered the windows, cutting off all light and contact from the muggle world just outside. Hunter green covers and sheets lay neatly on the huge king-size bed. This clearly had been Sirius' mum's room. And by the amount of dust settled on everything, it seemed no one had been in this room since its owner had passed away.

McGonagall and Moody were standing in the center of the room, apparently discussing the unconscious boy that lay on the bed in front of them. They both turned around as Lupin and Hermione entered the room.

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. _'A fine big bed for the Slytherin Prince, he's even getting pampered here of all places?'_

Pushing these thought from her mind, she turned to look at McGonagall. "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

"Yes, Hermione, I did want to see you. I have a very important and dangerous assignment that I believe only you could possibly carry out efficiently".

Hermione left the dark room an hour later, her head spinning with the knowledge of what lay ahead of her. She couldn't believe what McGonagall had just told her that she had to do. Being around Malfoy and sharing a house with him; even if he was locked up was one thing, but going into hiding with him was a totally different story!


	10. Chapter 10

**Cause you see the world through blood shot eyes and you can't decide who's on you side." **

**-**Unknown 

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Ten

'_How am I going to get through this? Malfoy's never going to cooperate with me, not that I want to get along with him either. How could McGonagall possibly think that I'm the perfect person for the job?'_

Hermione's mind was spinning as she walked toward the room that she shared with the other girls. She hoped that they were still awake so she could talk to them about her newest problem.

'_Why does it have to be me? He's not going to go along with this without putting up a fight first. I can already see it now, one of us will end up killing the other before it's all over. And knowing Malfoy, he'll make sure it's me that dies.'_

Old floor boards creaked under foot as she made her way back down the long, dark hallway. A chill hung in the air, making it seem as if it weren't a summer's night. The whole house seemed quiet and unmoving, like something that had lost its will to live and was laying, waiting for death to overcome.

'_I can't believe my first assignment as a new member to the Order is to run off with my mortal enemy! He loathes every part of me, not to mention the fact that I'm muggleborn.'_

Finally reaching the door to their room, Hermione stopped and stood still, hand resting on the doorknob. How was she going to tell them? Breaking the news to her friends that she might be in mortal danger soon was something she found impossible to visualize. They would never let her go with Malfoy alone, but she had to. Realizing that she was going to have to face them sooner or later, she took a deep breath and turned her hand.

Opening the door quietly, she peeked around it and found not only Ginny and Luna in the room, but Harry was there also. Ginny was sitting on one of the beds twirling a piece of hair around hair finger nervously and Luna was staring off into space, her eyes unfocused and a mystified look on her face. Judging by the path wore in the dust on the floor; Harry had apparently been pacing back and forth.

They all turned to face her as she walked into the room. Hermione watched as relief spread over Harry's face and he stopped pacing. Ginny was still looking nervous, but Luna, her eyes back in focus, was looking at Hermione as if she could see right through her. It always sent chills down her spine when Luna did this, whether she was doing it to Hermione or someone else.

"Where were you at, Hermione? We thought you were coming up right behind us but you never showed up," Ginny said suspiciously.

"Ron never came back to our room either, so I come over here to see if he had stopped by to chat or something, then these two told me that you were missing, too. We were about to come looking for both of you".

"I'm fine," Hermione said hurriedly. "You mean Ron never came back at all?"

"No, he didn't. Hermione are you sure you're okay?" Ginny said standing up to walk over to Hermione. "You look pale".

Hermione put a hand on her forehead and swayed a little. Harry moved over to her quickly, catching hold of her by the waist before she collapsed to the floor.

"Hermione, come, sit down before you hurt yourself. What happened? Does Ron have something to do with this?" Harry helped her over to the bed and sat her down gently.

"I… um… wow," Hermione didn't know what to say. She felt too embarrassed to say anything.

She did feel violated, but she was worried of what the others might do if they found out what had really happened. Ron may have done those things, but she felt like she had brought them on herself and that was no reason to get Ron in trouble over something she had caused herself.

"Hermione, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on," Harry said laying a comforting hand on her shoulder tenderly.

"I don't know where Ron went to," Hermione finally said. "After we left the meeting, Lupin stopped me and told me that McGonagall wanted to see me".

Hey, it was the truth; even if she had left out the part about Ron.

"And what did she want?" Ginny asked.

"She wanted to tell me about the mission she was assigning for me to do".

"Wow, you already have a mission? That's amazing. What does she want you to do?" Ginny asked her.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione continued, "She told me that she believed I was the only one that could carry it out without messing anything up. She told me that I would be going on a long journey with someone and that I would have to keep hidden until further instruction".

"Who is 'someone'?" Harry and Ginny both asked simultaneously, it was evident that their earlier argument had been forgotten.

Hermione murmured something and all three, including Luna, leaned closer to hear what she had said.

"Pardon," Luna said.

"Oh, Harry, please don't get mad," she began to cry.

"Don't worry, Hermione. Just tell us who it is".

"She said I have to go into hiding with Malfoy".

"WHAT!" Harry jumped to his feet.

"She said that she believed that I would be the only one that could control him".

"Why would she think that?" Ginny gasped.

"I don't know, but it's no use arguing with her. We made a promise that we would do anything possible to help the Order out and if this is the best way for me to help out, that's what I'm going to do".

She had stopped crying now and was looking at the faces around her. Ginny nodded in agreement, knowing perfectly well that once she made her mind up about something, Hermione wasn't going to back down. Harry looked livid, he face screwed up in an effort to keep from yelling some more and Luna was just sitting there looking at her like she was even smarter than usual to be taking on this task.

Hermione didn't know why, but she had always felt like Luna knew more than she was letting on about. It even had crossed her mind a few times that it may be possible that Luna had some Seer blood in her. If that was true, was there something that Luna knew about all of this that she wasn't going to say? Did she perhaps know why McGonagall had picked her out of all the other Order members?

"When are you leaving?" Harry finally managed to ask through clenched teeth.

"As soon as Malfoy's strong enough. She said that he couldn't stay here for too long because it might cause problems, and she didn't want to take any chances of him hearing any important information. I have enough time to go get my things from my parent's house and say good-bye to all of you though".

"Where are you going to go?" Ginny asked her.

"I don't know yet," was all Hermione could answer.


	11. Chapter 11

Passion Burns Deep Chapter Eleven

A sudden quiet feel over the whole group. Hermione could see that the others were deep in thought, lost in their own feelings about the situation. She didn't know what to think herself.

Images of Malfoy and herself sitting inside a cave flew through her mind. Rain pouring down in sheets just outside the cave's mouth as a steady drip of water fell from a crack above their heads. A cold breeze sent its fingers snaking up her arms as she sat hugging her knees, watchful eyes trained on Malfoy. Watching his every move and not letting her guard down for even a second.

"It's going to be difficult, isn't it?" Hermione whispered, knowing the answer.

Ginny patted her shoulder sympathetically, "That's what being in the Order is all about. Nothing we're asked to do is going to be easy".

"But it'll all be worth it in the long run I suppose. Once Voldemort is finally gone, we'll be able to live life without the fear of always looking over our shoulders," Luna wisely put in.

There was no flinching at the sound of Voldemort's name. Ever since Harry had told them the truth about the horcruxes, Voldemort didn't seem as immortal as they had once believed he was. Now, even Ron barely shuddered at the mention of his name.

Hermione watched as Harry relaxed slightly and gave in to the fact that there was nothing he could do to change the events that were about to unfold.

"Well," he sighed, "McGonagall's right. I may not like it, but you are the best person for the job, Hermione".

"Why do you think that, Harry?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"Because you're the only one with enough patience to put up with some of the stuff Malfoy says and does. You're the one that was always holding Ron and me back from beating the snot out of the slimy git. If anyone could come close to keeping him under control, it would be you".

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Ginny cut her off.

"It's true, Hermione and there's no point in arguing about it. We shouldn't be fighting with each other when we only have a little time left together before you have to leave anyway".

Hermione closed her mouth again, realizing that Ginny had a good point. She didn't want to have to leave them all right after having a fight, when there was always the chance that she may never get to see them again.

That was the real horror of the whole situation, never seeing any of them again. She didn't know how long she was going to have to stay in hiding and frankly she didn't want to think about it.

"McGonagall also mentioned that I wouldn't be able to write to you guys that often. She said owls were easy to track and any other means of communication used too much magic".

"It kind of makes you think she's cutting you completely off from us and everyone else on purpose," Harry spat.

"Well I suppose that is the reason. We can't be completely sure that Malfoy really is on our side and is telling the truth. The Order thinks it for the best if he has no idea what's going on".

"Voldemort must really want to get his hands on Malfoy. The only question I have is 'what would he do with Malfoy once he got his hands on him'".

She looked around, as if expecting someone to have the answer. After a few seconds of silence, she continued.

"I mean, are we even sure that Voldemort wants to kill Malfoy? Seems to me that if he wanted someone dead, then he'd make sure it happened. Maybe there's more to Malfoy than meets the eye. Maybe he has some sort of special power that Voldemort wants for himself".

"Hermione," Harry suddenly exclaimed. "You have to carry out your assignment!"

"Yes, I thought we already came to that conclusion. I'm going to go and try my hardest to keep anyone from… Oh Harry, I couldn't!"

"Oh come off it Hermione! Of course you could. You're the smartest witch I have ever met. I'm sure you could do it, no questions asked."

"Would someone mind telling me what you two are going on about?" Ginny said looking form Harry to Hermione in bewilderment.

They both ignored her question, Hermione still looking at Harry like he was some mad man who didn't know what he was talking about, and Harry smiling broadly back at her as if she were the answer to all his problems.

Luna took it upon herself to answer the question. "Harry wants Hermione to figure out why Voldemort wants to get his hands on Draco so badly".

"How is she supposed to do that?"

"By persuading Draco to tell her. He has to know why".

"And how is she supposed to persuade the Slytherin prince himself into spilling his guts to her?"

A faint smile passed over Luna's face and Ginny gasped in realization. She turned to look curiously at Hermione, suppressing a laugh at the thoughts that were flooding through her mind.

Luckily for Hermione and Harry both, neither one of them had overhead the conversation that had just taken place behind their backs.

"It'll be easy, Hermione. Just slip something in his drink over dinner one night when he's not expecting it. He'll tell us everything we need to know!"

Hermione's eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging slightly open.

"It's going to take more than a potion to get that boy to spill his guts," Ginny whispered to Luna. "Hermione's going to have to lay it on thick". She giggled at the thought.

"I'm sure she'll be able to do it, if that's what she wants" Luna knowingly replied.

"You need to go get your things from your parents' house since you don't know when you'll be leaving," Harry said, practically pushing her out the door.

"Yes, I'd better do that. By the way McGonagall was talking, it seems like we're going to have to stay gone for a long time".

"I'll go with you," Ginny said jumping to her feet. "Are you two going to come along with us?"

"I'm going to go see if I can find Ron," Harry said slowly. "I don't know what could have happened to him".

"What about you Luna?"

Luna's cloudy eyes turned on them, curiously. "No, I think it would be better if you two went alone. I'm going to go to bed now".

"Suit yourself then," Ginny said, shrugging her shoulders.

"See you in a little while," Hermione said to them both.

She turned and walked out of the room, Ginny following right behind her. A silence lingered over them as they made their way through the old, creaky house, down to the kitchen.

Hermione's house, as expected, was still empty. Her parents had probably gone out to dinner after work and hadn't returned yet. She turned on the lights and Ginny, stepping out of the fireplace, looked around.

"Wow, Hermione, your house is very beautiful".

"But it's always too empty for the beauty to actually be admired. It's a waste of time and money, really. As much as my parents are home, we could live in a box and it wouldn't make any difference".

Hermione quickly packed all the important things she thought she would need for the trip, putting it all in a special light-weight bag that Fred and George had created. The bag held as much stuff as you saw fit to put in it and it weighed the same no matter how much it held. Not to Ginny's surprise, almost all of Hermione's books went in after what seemed like every piece of clothing that she owned.

"Wow, you really are going to be gone for a long time aren't you?"

"I believe so, Gin. Better to be safe and take it all then be sorry that I left something behind".

Just under an hour later; they made their way back to Grimmuald Place, both wondering how long it would be before they saw each other again.


End file.
